Blinding Snow
by celebi82
Summary: 25-year-old Naomi Ijiri has lived a happy life despite being blind. She has loving parents and a best friend too. But sometimes, things can change in the blink of an eye. Naomi's life is turned around in an instant. (AR)
1. Infected

**Blinding Snow**

**A/N: **Yay! New story! Well, here's the first chapter, enjoy! Oh and here's a description of my main OC. Also, she is a vampire. I'm telling you now because it happens in the first chapter anyway and I have to tell you so I can give the full description. You know, I think I have a fetish for making my OCs short. I don't know why, especially considering I'm pretty tall. ^ _ ^

Name: Naomi Ijiri

Age: 25 years old

Height: 5 foot, 1 inch

Weight: 99 pounds

Hair: Dark blue before becoming a vampire, but afterwards has dark blue hair with red streaks underneath. The streaks are barely noticeable because they are underneath the blue hair, but they are there. Her hair goes down to her mid-thigh.

Eyes: Were baby blue before becoming a vampire but there is now silver mixed in, making it a silver blue. There is also another thing you need to know about her eyes but I'll leave that for you find out in the story. Naw, actually I'll tell you. She's blind. It's easier to tell you this way instead of dramatically going "_I am blind."_ (: Plus her eyes always wander aimlessly because she's blind.

Piercing(s): She has a lip piercing.

Vampire: She has basic control of her fangs. Her canine teeth appear a bit sharper and bigger than before, but they are passable. However, if she needs to, she can make them much bigger and sharper. But she mostly keeps them hidden. Also, vampires have to feed once a month, whether it is on animal blood or human blood. It doesn't matter what time of the month, but after a vampire feeds, they have to wait at least one month before they can again. Vampires can run really fast too, almost unnaturally fast, but people are naïve enough to believe someone could run so fast. In this story, people who are bitten before they turn thirty do not become undead; they can and will die one day still. Vampires can also fly or levitate. They can hypnotize people with their eyes. Many of these abilities are very hard for a new vampire, but are easy to get a hang of with some practice. Some naturally and some have to go to other vampires to learn. Vampires are not hurt by sunlight in this story, it's just a bit annoying, but completely bearable. Vampires' senses, such as sight, hearing, and smelling, are much better than that of regular people. They also have healing powers that work twice as fast as a normal person. Vampires are very graceful. I think that's it. Yay, vampire lesson for my story. Now don't criticize me because I know some of this isn't true about vampires but I don't care. Deal with it.

Other: Naomi has mastered many martial arts including kendo, judo, tae kwon do, and karate along with her best friend. Quite a feat for being blind, don't you think? Cursing is not an abnormal thing for her. She can appear kind but her mood and attitude can change very quickly.

Personality: Pretty straightforward, doesn't show many emotions, unusually strong (even before she became a vampire. Hmm, I suppose strength isn't part of personality. Oh well), kind of shy but appears bold, usually a calm person even in stressful situations, antisocial, very smart, observant, and honest (doesn't hold back in her opinions or advice, even if it is insulting you).

**Chapter 1: Infected**

**Naomi's point of view:**

"Wasn't that food really good, Naomi?" my dad asked me happily rubbing his stomach. I nodded, looking to where his voice came from. My dog, Ise (my pronunciation: I-see), barked in agreement. I had given her some food under the table; she was such a hard worker I figured she deserved something other than the kibble I always gave him from my pocket.

"It was good, but we lost track of time and now it's dark! I hope it's not that late," my mother worried. So it was dark. I was wondering about that. Then, I heard a rustling in a tree. It was trying to be as stealthy as possible, but it sounded like whatever it was slipped. Plus, it sounded too heavy to be a forest animal. We were taking a shortcut through the forest from a nearby restaurant to get home.

"Did you hear that?" I asked suspiciously. I turned to the direction of the sound. Ise barked madly; she must have heard too.

"Hear wh-AH!" my dad screamed. I knew I couldn't help him. I drew back into the trees, hiding, wondering what or who had attacked my dad.

I heard my mother shrieked and was about to call out to her when I felt a cold hand cover my mouth. I thought about resisting, but it didn't seem like the best choice. I remained still and silent as Ise growled lowly. I scratched her head quietly to calm her. Someone whispered evilly in my ear. So it was a person. No, people. There was probably more than one.

"Your parents are already dead. If you want to live, you won't scream," he whispered quietly, his hot and unpleasant breathe, making me want to squirm, but I didn't.

"We don't like to make vampires who are old, but we like the young ones. You look young. Mid-twenties, maybe?" he said. I could feel him smiling. I nodded a small nod, afraid to move much just in case he thought I was trying to get away. Wait. Vampires? These are _vampires_. That type of thing actually exists? I just thought they were myths and subjects to entertain you in books.

Then I came to another realization. They were going to make me into a vampire. Huh. I've never heard of a blind vampire before. Oh, no, what are they going to do with Ise? I wonder if they'll let me keep her.

"C-can I keep my dog? Can you not hurt her, please?" I said quietly. The person, who was a guy and sounded like a teenager maybe, laughed.

"You're more concerned about your dog than yourself?" he asked incredulously. "Hehe, fine keep her cause you gave me a good laugh and you don't seem to be the struggling type."

"Thank you," I said quietly. Now that I thought about it, I know I can't stop this from happening. So meanwhile, why not make sure that afterwards won't be as hard.

"Excuse me, but, if you could, when you bite me, could you do it near the back of my neck? You know, so it won't be noticeable," I asked him calmly. I could tell I was clearly shocking him by the silence that hung in the air for a few moments. Maybe I was a bit too straightforward? Oh well, too late now.

"Huh? Oh, uh, sure I guess I could do that," he said, shocked. I guess I stumped him. It probably was a weird thing to ask in a situation like this, but I always try to stay a step ahead and this is no exception.

I waited a moment, bracing myself for the bite which I'm sure is painful. I felt him push my hair away so he could bite the back of my neck. I heard Ise whine to me and then growl at the man.

"Shh, it's ok Ise. I'll be alright," I told her reassuringly. Then one last thought occurred to me.

"Wait, will I be conscious after you bite me?" I asked the man.

"For a little while. I suggest you use that time to run away from here. There are other vampires who don't care if you're young and won't hesitate to kill you," he advised me. He seemed kinder now. I wonder why. Maybe he was impressed by my calmness.

"Okay, thank you for the advice," I said politely. Honestly, I'd love to make a sarcastic remark or maybe just curse him out. But something tells me this isn't a good time. Ha.

The man didn't say word and the next thing I knew, there was a searing and nearly unbearable pain seething through the back of my neck. I screamed in pure agony and pain, tears immediately bursting through my eyes and running down my cheeks with seemingly no end. My scream rang through the night. I wouldn't be surprised if everyone in Tokyo had heard it. I would've fallen right there on the ground if the man hadn't been holding me up, sucking my blood hungrily.

After what seemed like hours of torture but what was probably only ten seconds, he pulled his fangs out of me and let me fall. I lay there for a moment, panting and then remembering what he had said. He had told me to run.

And so I did.

Ignoring the intense and agonizing pain that was now rushing through my whole body, rushing through my veins, I rose shakily and took off at a sprint, my hands outstretched in front of me to try to avoid running into anything. I continued to run blindly-literally-not having a clue where I was going but just trying to get away.

I heard Ise barking behind and heard her chasing after me. I couldn't stop for a moment though or I knew I would collapse and not able to take another step. I had to keep running. Ise's barks soon faded. I guess she lost track of me. I'll find her later.

My feet suddenly flew out from under me and I landed with a smack on what sounded and felt like wood. Maybe it's a house! Wait, is that good? Well, they probably won't notice the vampire bite unless I'm a bloody mess.

I felt the back of my neck with my hand. All I could feel was two small holes. No wetness of blood or anything. This guy did a pretty clean job. Wait, what the hell am I saying? Ugh. I through my hair over the back of my neck, praying to God that whoever lived here didn't see the marks before I fell into unconscious, the pain seeping away if only for a little while as I lay in the cold December air.

**Shigure's point of view: **

I set down my pencil and stretched my arms over my head with a yawn. I wasn't done with my manuscript yet but it was one in the morning and I was tired. I should go to bed.

All of a sudden, I hear a thud from the front porch. I freeze. I cautiously make my way down the hall to the front door and open it slowly, looking out. I look around and see nothing. I'm about to go back inside but then I looked down and saw something.

An unconscious woman sprawled out on my porch.

I just stared at her for a moment. Several thoughts raced through my head. Why is this girl on my porch? Why is she unconscious? Why is she unconscious at one in the morning? Hmm, maybe I should bring her in. I could call Hari.

I made my decision and picked up the girl, carefully holding her away from my body. Her long blue and-is that red? -hair hung down, almost touching the ground. I walked back into the house and quietly kicked the door closed with my foot. I walked to the living and set the girl down gently on the couch, setting the blanket that always hung on the back of the sofa over her.

Hmm, I wonder if Hari will be annoyed be being called and woken at this hour. Yes, he most definitely will. All the more reason to call him! Besides, the girl is cute and looks about our age. Maybe he'll like her. Yep, I'm going to call him. After all, the girl could very possibly be dying.

I grinned as I dialed Hari's phone number. It rang seven times before someone picked up.

"What could you possibly want at this hour Shigure?" Hari asked irritably, but there was evident grogginess in his voice. I could very clearly picture him pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance right about now.

"How did you know it was me?" I asked.

"Because you're the only idiot who would call me this late."

"Ah, but actually, I think you mean early. It is morning after all."

"What do you want?"

Well, you see, it's quite an interesting tale," I responded gleefully. I heard him sigh heavily and sit down in a chair. I grinned. "Well, I was just about to turn in, tired of writing, when I heard a noise on the porch. It was like a thud. I, ever the investigator, went to the door to inspect the porch. I open the door and look around, but there's nothing there! Then, just when I'm about to go back in, I look down and guess what I find, Hari!"

Hari sighed again and complied, "What did you find, Shigure?"

"An unconscious woman! Just passed out right there on my front porch! Can you believe it?"

"Really?" he asked. He seemed surprised at the outcome of my story.

"Yes, really!"

"You did bring her inside, didn't you Shigure?"

"Of course I did!"

"And I assume that you would like me to come over to look her over?"

"Yep!"

"Fine, I'll be there in the morning. And I mean as in when I wake up on my own and not right now in the morning."

"Alright, see you then!" I said, but was responded with the dial tone. I put the phone back in its cradle and returned to the living room.

I looked down at the girl. Strange thing it was, finding a girl on your porch in the middle of December. I chuckled at that thought and headed to my room.

**Naomi's point of view: **

I opened my eyes, but it's not as if it made a difference. Everything was still completely dark.

Some blind people aren't entirely blind. They can have slits of vision that let light into their world. However, other people are completely and utterly blind. Not able to see a thing, trapped in eternal darkness. I was one of those people.

I was born blind. It always saddens me that I have never seen the world before. I don't know what people look like. I don't know what flowers look like. Or trees. Or the sky. Or the stars. There are so many things I wish I could see. Sometimes, I just wish I could see my own face. I only know what I look like from the things my parents and Oji have told me. But for all I know they could be lying. I could have green skin instead of the pale white they say I have for all I know. We could all be cartoons. But then again, I don't even know what cartoons look like. All I can rely on is the descriptions people give of things and people and then I create a mental image in my mind of what that might look like. My dreams are just like reality. Complete blackness. I've never seen the world so I don't know what to dream.

I wonder where I am right now. What does it look like? Where is Ise? I hope I can find her. I sneezed. Yeah, I supposed fainting on a porch in the middle of winter might give you a cold. I hope I don't have a fever.

"Ah, you're awake. That's good," I heard a male voice say. I swiftly snapped my head in the direction of the voice. It sounded like it was behind me.

"Who are you?" I asked. I ought to know his name I am in his house.

"Shigure Sohma, and yours?"

"Naomi Ijiri. Is my dog here? I hope she's okay…" I trailed off thinking about Ise wandering the woods.

"Your dog? No she's not here. I can go look for her if you want. Where do you think she would be?" the man asked. It sounded like he was beside me now.

"You would do that?" I asked him. What kind of person just goes out to find a dog for a person they just met?

"Sure!"

"Thank you so much! Ise means everything to me. I think she will probably still be in the forest somewhere. She's a golden retriever. Try not to startle her," I instructed the man.

"Don't worry, dogs like me. I would say I'm a dog person. "

"Really? Okay then. Thank you so much. I hope you find her," I said to him kindly. I really hope I'm looking at him. I wonder if he can already tell I'm blind. A lot of people say that my eyes look kind of glazed over.

"I will, see you soon!" he said before I heard his footsteps run away. I wish I could ask what he looked like so I could file away a mental image. I don't want these people to know I'm blind. Maybe they won't have to. I don't need more pity and as soon as Ise gets here, I'm leaving.

I heard a door open and close. It must be Shigure leaving. Now all I can do is sit on this couch in his house and wait for him to get back. I wonder if there are other people living here as well.

After a while, I zoned out while thinking about Ise and hoping she was okay. I was roughly pulled away from my thoughts by a loud voice questioning, "Who the hell are you?"

I jumped in my seat. I had zoned out so I hadn't heard this person's footsteps, so naturally they startled me. Still, I didn't like his tone of voice or attitude. He sounded like a teenager.

"Aren't you just a ray of sunshine?" I remarked sarcastically.

"What?!" he yelled. I smirked. This kid is a riot.

I looked in the direction of his loud voice. "You heard me, Mr. Sunshine."

"Who are you?!" he shouted.

"Well, since it appears that you live here. I'll tell you my name if you promise to tell me yours. "

"What?!" he yelled. I swear this guy only knows a few words. Oh well.

"I'll take that as an 'I promise.' My name is Naomi Ijiri. Now what's yours?"

"As if I'd tell you!" he shouted. Oh look! New words!

"Aw, but you promised! Oh well, I'll get it out of you don't worry," I smirked and returned to pretending to stare at the ceiling with my hands behind my head leisurely. The boy was silent for moment and then I heard him huff and stomp away.

I didn't zone out anymore but instead listened for more footsteps. Shigure couldn't possibly just be living with that kid. I know I wouldn't be able to. There had to be more people.

As I expected, I heard another pair of feet coming down a staircase. Ah, so I was in a two story house. Nice. These footsteps were very quiet almost silent. Once they reached the bottom of the stairs, the person gasped. It was a girl.

"Oh! I didn't know we were having a guest! Do you want some breakfast miss?!" the girl asked me frantically, her voice getting louder as she hurried towards me.

"Oh no, please don't do that. I'm not hungry anyway. I'm Naomi Ijiri," I said kindly. I liked her better than the other kid. Hey, if you are kind to me, I will most likely return the favor.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Tohru Honda," the girl said. Huh, isn't Tohru typically a boy name. Eh, whatever, I won't mention it. That'd be mean.

"It's nice to meet you Honda-san." I wish I could see what she looks like.

"It's to meet you as well! Are you really sure that you wouldn't like something to eat? It's really no bother at all, honest."

"No thank you Honda-san. I really am not hungry. But thank you anyway."

"Oh, well, if you're sure…I have to go make breakfast now."

"Okay, bye."

I didn't get a response so I figured that she waved her hand.

I wonder when that Shigure Sohma guy will be back. I hope he brings Ise with him.

And as if I had summoned him, I heard Shigure's loud, flamboyant voice rang throughout the house.

"I have found Ise, Naomi!" he exclaimed.

"Where is she?!" I heard another voice. Wait, was that…

"Oji?!" I yelled disbelievingly. I heard rapid footsteps and before I knew it I was enveloped in a tight embrace. I hugged him back.

"Naomi, what happened? I was so worried. I called last night, your cell phone and the house phone, but no one answered! And then I went over to your house to see if anyone was there, but there wasn't! I remembered you told me you were going to that new restaurant with you mom and dad. I know you guys always insist on taking a shortcut in the forest, so I looked in there. And then I heard that guy shouting for Ise. And…now I'm here I guess," he finished, letting me go.

"I'll tell you later," I whispered. He was definitely one of the only people I could tell my situation about. He was my best friend after all, Oji Ijichi.

"Okay," he whispered back and then I felt a furry bundle leap on top of mean and start licking my face off.

"Ise!" I cried, hugging her, not caring for a moment that I was being slobbered all over.

"Okay, down Ise," I commanded her after a while. Ise obeyed and I sat up on the couch. I sneezed.

"Are you okay? I should take you home. Where are your parents?" he endlessly questioned me. But I knew it was just because he cared.

"I said I'll tell you later. Take me home though," I said. I wanted to get out of here and tell Oji everything.

"Okay," he said.

"Where is the guy who brought you here? I have to thank him for finding Ise," I told him.

"Right here! And you're welcome. That's a very well-trained dog you have there. All I had to do was call her name a few times and she came running," I heard Shigure from behind me. I turned my head to the direction of his voice, desperately hoping I was looking at him.

"Yes, I've had Ise for 9 years now and she's wonderful. Thank you for helping me but I have to go now," I said smiling and petting Ise who has wining against my leg.

"But I've called over my cousin to look you over! Surely you have to let him since you were passed out on my porch on a winter night," he reasoned. I winced. I had wanted Oji to learn about that once we got back to my house.

"What? Why were you passed out outside?" he asked loudly. I cringed.

"Didn't I say I'll tell you later?" I hissed to him. "Thank you very much for helping me but I really have to go. I'll be fine. Tell Honda-san and Mr. Sunshine I said bye. Ise, come," I said and stood up. Ise was immediately at my side. So was Oji, wanting to hear what I had to say as soon as possible. Then I felt Oji lift me up onto his shoulders.

"Oji!"

"What? You were passed out on a porch in the middle of the night. I'm carrying you," he stated simply. I sighed and gave in. I knew that he wanted to carry me because I had passed out, but I knew that he knew that I didn't want these people to know I was blind and this was an easy way of concealing it. Oji was just smart like that.

"Bye, Sohma-san!" I yelled before Oji ducked me under the door frame and we left with Ise trotting beside us.

**A/N: Oh my word, such a long chapter. I couldn't find a good place to stop though. Oh well. I love Oji Ijichi though. He's awesome. Heheee . Although, I wrote this a while ago and I'm not sure about it now…**


	2. Sick

**Blinding Snow**

**A/N: **Good gosh, that last chapter was eternal. Heehee, Mr. Sunshine… anyway enjoy the chapter! Oh! And here's Oji's description! Yay! It's like forever long though. Oh well.

Name: Oji Ijichi

Height: 6 foot 1 inch

Weight: 180 pounds

Age: 25

Hair: Jet black with blonde bangs over his eyes.

Eyes: He has dark brown eyes. The brown is so dark and if you aren't looking closely his iris appears to be all pupil.

Other: He has a lip piercing. Naomi does as well. They got them on the same day. They call them their best friend piercings. He has mastered many types of martial arts including kendo, judo, tae kwon do, and karate along with Naomi. He is very protective over Naomi. He has scared away more boys from her than she knows. They don't love each other or have secret crushes on each other though. They do love each other but just in a really close brother-sister way. He has no parents (they passed away) and lives in an apartment by himself. He and Naomi see each other every day though, whether it's at school (when they were younger), each other's homes, or just hanging out around town.

Personality: He is pretty antisocial unless it's Naomi. Naomi is his only friend and he is Naomi's only friend. He is very overprotective and gets angry easily, especially if it comes to Naomi. He is extremely smart despite his delinquent, detention-getting appearance that many people stereotype him for. He likes to draw. You can usually find him with a notebook in hand and pencil flying around the paper. He wishes he could show Naomi one day.

His and Naomi's story: In preschool, no one would be Naomi's friend and everyone would ignore as she walked around aimlessly with her little cane (this was before she got Ise. She got Ise when she turned 16). Oji noticed her and went up to her and said, "I'm going to make you smile tomorrow." And they have been friends ever since. Oji doesn't care that she's blind. They have been best friends for 21 years now and haven't left each other's side (metaphorically) since. Oh by the way, Nomi is Oji's nickname for Naomi. Don't think that I'm continually forgetting to add the 'a'.

Disclaimer: I do not nor have I ever owned Fruits Basket or any of its characters and I sadly never will. That happiness belongs to Natsuki Takaya. I do however own my wonderful Naomi Ijiri and awesome Oji Ijichi.

**Chapter 2: Sick**

**Shigure's point of view:**

"Tohru! Mr. Sunshine! Naomi said goodbye!" I shouted as I waltzed into the kitchen where they were. Kyo glared at me.

"What did you call me?!" he yelled at me. I backed away from him with my hands held in front of me.

"I didn't say it! Naomi did!" I protested.

"What was that girl doing here anyway?" he asked angrily.

"I thought she was nice," Tohru put in.

"Me too!" I exclaimed, gaining a glare from Kyo.

"What? She was."

"Whatever."

I heard a knock at the door and hurried over to answer it before Tohru could. I opened it and saw Hatori.

"Oh, hello Hari! Come in!" I beckoned him into the house and he walked in and went to the living room.

"So where is the woman you found on the porch?" he asked.

"Oh yes, sit down and I'll tell you about her!" Hari sighed but sat down on the couch anyways where I joined him.

"Okay so, you already know how I found her on the porch. Well, she woke up around seven. The first thing she asked was who I was and then she introduced herself. Her name is Naomi Ijiri. She has dark blue hair and I'm not sure but there might be some red underneath it. She has a lip piercing too. She's pretty short, probably about five, one. Then she asked about her dog. I was kind of surprised. I mean, she just woke up in a house she's not familiar with and she asks about her dog? Anyway, the dog wasn't here so I offered to go find it for her and she said that it might be in the woods. So I go wander through the forest calling out the dog's name. Her name is Ise by the way. So only after a few calls, I see a golden retriever bounding towards me. And then a moment later, this guy with black hair and blonde bangs with a lip piercing like Naomi's runs up to me and asks how I know Ise and if I know where Naomi is. I told him I did and he demanded I take him to her. Well, he was kind of scary you know. So I took him back here. He immediately ran into the house, demanding to know where she was. Then Naomi yells his name out. I think it was Oji. He ran to her and hugged her, asking what had happened and where she had been and other things about how he was worried. I wonder who he is. Maybe he's her boyfriend. I don't know. Anyway, she wanted to go home after her dog came back to her. I tried to stop her by telling her to at least let you look her over, but she insisted that she would be fine and left with that guy and her dog. Oh, and I think that she might have been blind," I finished, catching my breath.

"What do you mean you 'think' she's blind?" Hari asked.

"Well, her eyes appear to be glazed over and when she looks at you, she always looks like she's looking past you. Also, I think she might've been worried about her dog since it might be her guide dog. Plus, that Oji guy carried her out. He said it was because she passed out on a porch, which I suppose is a good reason. I don't know. I could be wrong."

"I wonder why she was passed out on your porch on a December night though."

"She could've gotten lost in the forest, saw a house, and just collapsed on the porch," I pointed out. He nodded.

"Maybe, but why would someone be out here on Sohma property In the middle of the night?

"Hmm, I didn't think of that."

"What's he doing here?" I heard Kyo shout from the doorway.

"I can invite people over, Mr. Sunshine, so hush," I said grinning.

"Don't call me that!" he said, storming back out of the room.

"Where did that nickname come from?" Hari asked me.

"Oh, Naomi gave it to him! I thought it was quite funny!" Hari only nodded. He seemed to be deep in thought. I wonder what he's thinking about. It's too bad that he couldn't meet Naomi. I think he would've liked her.

**Oji's point of view:**

I felt Naomi rest her head on mine as I ducked under her doorway. I kicked the door closed and walk to the living room. I walk over to the couch and flip her off my shoulders onto it. She squeals and straightens herself into a sitting position. I sit down next to her and silently wait for an explanation.

"Where are you?" she asked.

"Right here," I said. I picked her up and sat her on my lap facing me. We did this a lot so she knew exactly where I was and so she was certain that she was looking at me. It's not like we're a couple. Far from that. We do love each other of course. We're best friends, just like brother and sister, like twins practically.

She goes right into the story. "So you already know that my p-parents and I were going to that new restaurant. Well, we were taking the shortcut through the woods afterwards to get home. W-Well, I thought that I heard something and I was right. There were…there were…" she trailed off and stopped speaking.

"Naomi? What happened? What were there?" I asked her gently. I watched helplessly as her glazed eyes filled with tears and she hugged me, burying her face in my chest sobbing uncontrollably. I held her close me, rubbing circles on her back and whispering comforting words in her ear.

Her cries slow a bit and I hear her continue, speaking softly into my chest. "There were _vampires_, Oji. Do you believe me? I can prove it," she whispered, hiding her face.

"Show me."

She nods and bends her head down and moves her hair so I see the back of her neck. I gasp when I see two small red holes in her pale skin.

"Oh my God, Naomi. They…they _bit_ you?" I whispered disbelievingly. She nodded, returning her hair to cover her neck.

"Does it hurt? Are you hurt anywhere else? They didn't do anything else to you did they?" I asked quickly in one breath, completely and utterly worried about her.

"It h-h-hurt before. It was unbelievable. He didn't do anything to me. He told me to run after he bit me so the other vampires wouldn't k-k-k-kill me. He said that they liked vampires y-y-young. Oji, they k-k-k-killed…they k-k-killed… m-my p-p-parents!" she screamed, and burst into a new round of sobs and heartbreaking tears. She clutched my shirt, trying to pull me closer for comfort. I wrapped my arms around her and stroked her hair.

"I'm so so sorry Naomi. I promise I won't let them hurt you anymore. I'm sorry for letting them hurt you and you parents in the first place. I'll protect you, don't worry. I'll help you through this. You don't have to be alone. We'll get through this together okay?" I whispered in her ear. She nodded. She had stopped sobbing but tears were still streaming down her face. She sneezed. I felt her forehead. She was burning up.

"You have a fever, Naomi. I'll carry you to your bed, okay? And then I'll make you some soup. Sound good?" She nodded feebly and then burst into a coughing fit, clutching my shirt. My brow furrowed in concern. I hope her fever didn't get worse. I might consider taking her to the hospital if it does. I lifted her up and she held my shirt tighter, afraid of falling.

I carried her to her room and set her down on the bed. I tucked the covers up to her chin. "I'll be right back with a thermometer," I said quietly before leaving. I searched the drawers until I found one. I walked back to her room.

"Are you still awake?" I whispered. She nodded. I walked over to her and tapped her mouth with my finger for her to open it. She did and I stuck the thermometer under her tongue. She took it and held it there. I stood there silently until it beeped. I took the thermometer back from her to see the temperature.

My eyes widened. She had a temperature of 104.6 degrees Fahrenheit. I contemplated whether or not I should take her to the hospital. After thinking about it a bit, I decided to wait and see if it would go down because Naomi doesn't like hospitals.

"What's the temperature," Naomi asked softly, breaking me from my thoughts.

"104.6. I'm going to check your temperature again in an hour. Let me know if you feel worse, okay?" she just nodded and I went to make her some soup.

I finished making the soup in about twenty minutes and carried it back to her room on a tray with some apple juice and some water too. I edged the door open with my foot and stepped in.

"Maddy?" I looked over at her bed and the tray dropped to the floor.

Maddy was convulsing and twitching on her bed uncontrollably and her eyes were rolled into the back of her head. "Maddy!" I screamed as I ran over to her, ignoring the broken glass and spilled food and drink that were now on the floor. Tears were streaming down her face. Her whole body shook and jerked violently. She tried to latch onto me but her hands were trembling too much.

I picked up the phone next to her bed and dialed 911 while holding her shaking hand. She was sobbing now, but hadn't stopped shuddering.

"911, what's your emergency?" a voice answered.

"My best friend has a high fever and I left her to make some soup for a little bit. I just came back in and found her convulsing uncontrollably!" I shouted frantically into the phone.

"Sir, calm down. Is she still convulsing?"

"Yes!"

"We'll send an ambulance right over. What's your address?"

I gave the person the address, reciting it as quickly as possible and hung up. I carefully picked up Naomi's jerking body and held her close, trying to calm her. Her elbow jabbed into my chest as she jolted but that only made me hold her closer, trying to keep her still.

She had her mouth open like she wanted to scream but she was silent. She looked at me with pleading eyes like she was asking me to make it stop. I kept her trembling body steady as I carried her out in front of her apartment complex to meet the ambulance.

I held her wrist just to make sure her pulse kept going until the ambulance got there. When they got there, she had calmed a little but barely, she was still convulsing violently. When I tried to give her to the paramedics so they could put her on the stretcher, she clung tightly to my shirt. She didn't like doctors or hospitals. I unlatched her from me and put her on the stretcher but immediately took her hand. She grasped it as tightly as she could. When her hand jerked, mine jerked with her and I squeezed her hand in comfort.

Once we were in the back of the ambulance, it started driving off and nobody did anything for Naomi.

"Aren't you going to do something?" I practically shouted at the paramedics. One shook his head.

"She's having seizures. There's nothing we can do until they pass," he said matter-of-factly. I glared at him, but gave my attention back to Naomi instead of blowing up at the guy.

"It's going to be all right. You'll be okay, Nomi. Don't worry. You'll be fine," I reassured her in her ear, but really, I was reassuring myself too. I wonder who was more scared right now, me or her.

She downgraded down to just twitching and shaking with a few sudden jolts here and there. "Does it hurt, Nomi?" I asked her gently. She nodded. The tears hadn't stopped streaming down her face since she started seizing. I had tried to wipe them from her face a few times, but they were always replaced quickly.

We arrived at the hospital and they rushed her to the emergency room. I wonder if everyone they bring here from an ambulance goes to the emergency room. I tried to follow Naomi through the emergency room double doors but a nurse stopped me.

"You can't go in there," she said simply. I gave her a death look and tried my absolute hardest not to explode in her face.

"That is my best friend in there. She needs me. Let. Me. In," I said through gritted teeth. The nurse appeared frightened as expected –I probably looked and sounded pretty menacing- but she held her ground in front of the double doors. I sent her one last glare before walking away to sit down before I did something that I would regret.

I put my face in my hands and just waited. One minute, one eternity. Two minutes, two eternities. Three minutes, three eternities. After what had probably been about 30 eternities, a man came out of the doors. I dashed over to him and gripped his shoulders tightly, hoping he knew something about Naomi. He winced.

"Is she okay?" I burst out at him. This man might not even be Naomi's doctor. He could be looking for someone else in this room to give news to, good or bad.

The doctor appeared a bit scared by me but responded with, "Are you talking about the girl with the seizures? Blue hair?"

"Yes! Is she okay?" I was practically screaming in his face. Poor guy. I wasn't going to let go of him until I got an answer though.

"Her seizures have stopped but she appears to have an unusually high fever. Did she have it before she came?"

I nodded and pleaded, "Can I see her? Please?" The doctor nodded, I released his shoulders and I burst through the double doors even though I had no clue which room was hers. I walked past every room, peering into the windows of the closed doors until I found her.

I rushed into the room and found her asleep. Her face was flushed and I could practically feel the heat radiating off of her. I could still see the tearstains on her cheeks. Naomi usually wasn't one to cry and she would probably be embarrassed by it later.

Naomi has always been a really light sleeper, so when my sneakers accidently squeak against the linoleum floor, her eyes flutter open. She immediately looked towards me, the source of the noise. "Oji?" she said quietly, making sure that it was me.

"Yeah, it's me, I'm here," I said, sitting down in a chair next to her bed. "Are you okay? Do you hurt anywhere? Damn, Nomi, you scared the hell out of me."

She smiled a little bit. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I'm fine now, really."

"I know you didn't mean to. It's not your fault at all. Though I am curious as to how that happened. I mean, do people just randomly have seizures for no reason? I know you have a fever, but fevers don't cause seizures, right?" She nodded.

"Are you sure you feel okay? Not sore or anything? You jerked around an awful lot," I said, eyeing her concernedly.

"I guess I'm a little sore. I probably bumped into some stuff. But I'm kind of cold actually."

"Fevers are so weird, aren't they? I mean, I can literally feel the heat coming off you, and yet you're cold. So strange. Anyway, do you want an extra blanket or something?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, I'll be right back," I said hurrying out of the room to ask a nurse or someone for an extra blanket. I found some grumpy looking nurse and asked for an extra blanket for my friend, who was a patient I made a point to add. She grunted in annoyance and roughly shoved a blanket in my direction that she had gotten from a supply closet.

I walked back to her room and tried to silently sneak in just to see if I could, but it was hopeless. I swear her hearing was better than a dog's. She immediately looked and my direction and said "Oji?"

"Yeah," I responded. "I brought you another blanket. Nurses can be so moody sometimes. She practically threw it at me." Naomi laughed. I smiled, glad that I could make her happy.

Her laugh quickly turned into a violent coughing fit though. I quickly filled a paper cup with water from the sink. I patted her back until she stopped coughing and handed her the water. She drank it quickly.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, and then tried to hide a yawn from me by passing it off as a cough. I may not be as smart as she was, but I wasn't stupid.

"Go to sleep," I told her sternly. She pouted at me.

"I don't wanna," she whined.

"You're tired."

"What if I am?"

"Don't make me bring a doctor in here, Naomi." Her eyes widened and I smirked. She jutted out her lower lip again, her lip ring sticking out.

"Fine. You're mean though," she said with a scowl on her face.

"But you love me anyway," I said grinning and hugged her. "I'm going to go ask if they'll free you, okay? Go to sleep." She nodded and closed her eyes. I walked out of the room to find the doctor from before. It didn't take long. According to him, he was just on his way to find me so he could ask who Naomi was.

"Her name is Naomi Ijiri."

"And you are?" he questioned. I thought we went through this already. Oh wait, no, I told the nurse who I was. Sort of anyways.

"I'm Oji Ijichi. I'm her best friend and," I thought for a second. "We live together because both of our parents have passed away." I'm positive she won't mind if I move back in. She has no one now and she'll need someone especially after what's happened recently.

"I'm terribly sorry," the doctor said. I held up my hand for him to stop the pity. I don't need sympathy. If he wants to give sympathy to anyone, he could give it to Naomi. If she wanted it that is, which she probably didn't.

"Save it. Anyway, can she be let out now? I'll take care of her fever at home," I said, hoping he would say yes. It was obvious to me that Naomi wanted out of here already.

"I suppose, but if her fever rises any higher than it is now, bring her back to the hospital. Also her seizures may become consecutive at home, but there's no need to call the hospital if she has one unless it lasts over four minutes," he instructed.

I nodded. I won't mention the part about the possible reoccurring seizures until later. I walk back to Naomi's room and lean against the doorway with crosses arms. It was painfully obvious that she was feigning sleep. I knew because she grinds her teeth when she sleeps. When I used to live with her and her parents, my room was right next to hers. I could hear her teeth every night. It was so damn loud. I always made a point to ask her when she was going to bed so I could fall asleep before she did so I wouldn't have to hear it.

"You're such a bad faker, Nomi," I said grinning. She opens her eyes and scowls in my direction.

"Whatever."

"Don't be so mean or I might not take you home," I teased. She plastered on the biggest smile.

"I'm sorry; you're the best person in the entire world. I should be bowing at her feet and kissing your toes," she said in a mock sweet voice. "Better?" she asks grinning.

"Much," I said before walking over to her and lifting her up onto my shoulders like earlier. She squealed as expected held her hands to my head to steady herself.

"Oji! I wish you would warn me before you do that!" she said in an annoyed voice. But I knew she was happy. She's always happy on my shoulders. She's aware of how short she is for her age and loves being tall on someone else's shoulders. These thoughts were confirmed when I tilted my head and saw her grin.

"Onward to home!" I shouted. Then a thought occurred to me.

"Hey, wait a second. How are we going to get home if the ambulance took us here?" I asked Naomi.

"Walk," she stated simply.

"No. I'm not taking you out into the cold December air with a fever of 105. It's not happening. I'll just call a taxi," I said, my voice firm. Naomi sighed.

"Taxies irritate me," she whined.

"Why?"

"Because they're all cramped and some person is driving who we don't even know and it's usually dirty and they're just irritating."

"Too bad," I said snapping my phone shut. I had already called the taxi while she was rambling on. I felt her resting her chin on my head. Without even seeing her, I knew she was pouting.

"Come on, we'll wait in the lobby," I said. I felt her nod.

The taxi was already there when we got to the lobby. "Fast taxi," I said.

"It's here already?" Naomi asked.

"Yep."

"I bet they speed," I heard her mumble. I laughed. I walked outside and felt her immediately shiver.

"Hold on," I said. I stood her on the ground and pulled off my jacket. I slid it on her before she could protest and put her back on my shoulders. It took her minute to catch up on what happened as I walked to the cab.

"Hey! Now, you're cold!" she said to me.

"Ah, but I'm not the one with the fever. You are. And you better not even think about taking it off or I'll bring you straight back in that hospital." She didn't respond but just let her arms fall onto my shoulders while rested her head on mine.

Once I reached the taxi, I shifted Naomi to my arms and settled her into the seat. I slid in next to her and told the cab driver where to go.

"Tell me what he looks like," Naomi whispered in my ear.

"Orange hair, looks annoyed, and actually he kind of looks like he's a teenager. Red eyes too," I whispered back. She always asks me what people look like, even if they are just the waiter at a coffee shop or the person in line in front of her at the grocery store.

"We're here," the guy's irritated voice said. Maddy's face lit up in recognition at his voice.

"Mr. Sunshine? Is that you?" she exclaimed looking in the man's general direction. Mr. Sunshine? Weird. I wonder who this guy is.

"Mr. Sunshine" looked back at her and his eyes widened. "You again?" he practically yelled, but Naomi wasn't paying him any attention because she was already talking to me.

"Oji, this is Mr. Sunshine. Mr. Sunshine, this is Oji. I call him Mr. Sunshine because he wouldn't tell me his name even after I told him mine and he promised. I'm going to get him back for it though," she grinned mischievously.

"But why Sunshine?" I asked her.

"Because he was just so damn grumpy when saw me. Rude, too. But there was a girl named Honda-san too. She was much nicer than him," she said. It was funny how the teen got more annoyed the longer we ignored him.

"Are you talking about when you were at that house?" I asked. Probably. Actually, that I think about it, I remember her telling that shaggy black-haired guy to 'say goodbye to Honda-san and Mr. Sunshine' or something to that extent.

"Yep!" she replied and then turned back to the overall direction of 'Mr. Sunshine. "Gotta go, Mr. Sunshine! I got a fever and if I don't get inside, Oji will probably kill me. Later!" she shouted just as I dragged her out of the car and plopped her on my shoulders. The taxi didn't move for a moment but then abruptly drove off. I laughed to myself. I wonder if that kid was shocked by us. He probably was.

"Hey, this isn't my apartment," Naomi said to me. I wonder how she knew.

"How do you know?" I asked her.

"The sound of the stairs. It's different, more hollow," she answered. Her hearing should win an award, I swear.

"Okay, so we're not. You're point?"

"So where are we?"

"My place."

"How come?"

"I'm getting my stuff."

"Why?" she asked. She sounded a little excited.

"Guess."

"Are you moving back in?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Why? You don't want me to?" I teased.

"Of course I do!" she yelled at me, hugging my head.

"Good," I said, opening my front door. I walked inside and set her down on my bed. She snuggled up under the covers instantly. I packed my stuff, which wasn't much, and looked back to her.

Naomi had fallen asleep but she was tossing and turning, like something was haunting her in her dreams. I sat down next to her head and rubbed up and down her back. Then I sang her the lullaby her mom had always sung when we were little.

_You are my sunshine, my only sunshine._

_You make me happy when skies are grey_

_You'll never know, dear, how much I love you. _

_Please don't take my sunshine away. _

I whispered it softly in her ear and watched as her sleeping form calmed, a little inched towards me, and her hand was clinging to mine in her sleep.

I lay there with Naomi that night, singing to her whenever she became restless.

**A/N: It's so hard for me to find places to stop in chapters. And I promise you, nothing is going on between Naomi and Oji. I love Oji though. He's awesome. Anyhow, I still feel iffy about this story.. **


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